Life After Death
by Persephone89
Summary: Centuries have passed since that fateful day and Ahkmenrah has never forgot. He's been depressed since his separation from his family, but that all changes when Nubia is brought to the museum. Along with Nubia comes something else that no one expected.
1. Chapter 1

**Welcome to Life After Death, the sequel to Unexpected Love. This story will be done in 3rd person unlike the first one which was done in 1st person. I tried doing this in 1st person, but it just didn't work that well. I hope you all enjoy this as much as you did the first one.**

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_He saw the frantic look in her eyes as she screamed his name. He turned around only to feel pain in his lower stomach. He looked down and saw blood dripping down as the sword was pulled out. He looked up to see his brother's evil smirk, and then fell to the ground._

_Nubia rushed to his side, tears streaming down her face. He had cheated death twice before, but he knew he would not survive a third time. Nubia knew it as well. He could see it in her eyes._

_She spoke to him, but he didn't know what she was saying. All he heard was his heart slowly fading away. There was so much he wanted to say; so much he still wanted to share with her. It pained him to leave her alone, but it was out of his control._

_With the last of his strength he said, "I love you." Then everything faded into darkness._

He went to sit up, but his head connected with the lid to his sarcophagus. He cursed as he rubbed his head. He sometimes forgot about that. He opened the lid then climbed out.

It had been so many centuries since he last saw Nubia, but he dreamt of her all the time. He also dreamed about Bakura, Khufu and even Ava. He missed them all very much. He wondered what happened to them. Did his sons grow up to be fine princes? What did Ava do with her life? Did Nubia remarry? It pained him to think about, but he knew she couldn't mourn him forever.

The young pharaoh made his way to the lobby where a game of soccer was held. It was his turn to play tonight, but he didn't feel like playing. His mind was on one thing and that was his wife.

"Hey Pharaoh, are you going to play?"

"Not tonight." He answered without looking at the small cowboy.

Jed looked at the young pharaoh and noticed the sadness not only in his voice, but also his face.

"Something on your mind?"

Ahkmenrah didn't answer right away. None of the other exhibits knew he had a wife or even kids. He didn't want to say anything because then everyone would start asking questions that he didn't want to answer yet.

"No." He finally answered. "Nothing is on my mind."

Jed didn't believe him, but he didn't press the subject.

Ahkmenrah only stayed out in the lobby for a few minutes before he went back to his room. He always had dreams about Nubia, but he never dreamed about his death. He felt bad for leaving her, but he had to protect her and his kingdom.

When he got back to his tomb he glanced up at his tablet. The others thought it only brought them to life at night. They had no idea the trouble it caused.

"Hey, where did Ahk go?" Larry asked as he walked up to Jed.

Jed shrugged. "I don't know. He said he didn't want to play then left."

"He looked sad." Octavius added.

Larry went to go check on the young pharaoh. It wasn't like him to be anti-social. When he got to Ahkmenrah's tomb he saw him looking at the tablet.

"Hey Ahk, what are you doing?"

The pharaoh turned around and Larry saw he did indeed look sad. Larry had never seen him look so depressed.

"I just felt like being alone."

Larry could sense that he didn't want to talk so he wasn't going to press the subject.

"Well, I'm always here if you want to talk." Then he left.

Ahkmenrah sighed as he sat down. He always tried not to get depressed around the others. He didn't want to explain that he had a wife, just thinking about Nubia made him sad. He knew he would be worse if he talked about her. He was also sad because he didn't get to see his children grow up. He feared his sons would fight like he and his brother did. He will never know if that fear was right.

The other exhibits were worried about Ahkmenrah. He hadn't been out of his tomb for most of the night. When one of them tried to talk to him, the pharaoh would just ignore them. They eventually gave up, but didn't stop wondering what was wrong. When the sun rose Larry was hoping that Ahkmenrah would be in a better mood tonight.

_He could remember the first time he saw her. The first time she got off the horse and looked right at him. She was so beautiful, but he never thought he could love her. Their marriage was arranged to stop the war, a war that had been going on for too long. He did what he had to for his people. _

_Falling in love took him by surprise. She wasn't like any other princess he had met. She didn't like being the princess and didn't like to do what royals usually do. She also knew how to defend herself which not a lot of women did. She didn't like anyone to fight her battles for her._

_He wasn't sure exactly when he fell in love with her, but he knew when he realized it and he was sure that Bakura helped him with that. When Bakura came he was jealous. Nubia and Bakura had known each other since they were kids and he knew that Nubia loved Bakura. He realized how jealous he was becoming and realized that he loved Nubia, but he didn't know if she would feel the same._

_He was away from her, dealing with an uprising and he couldn't wait to get back to her. When he did come back he found out that Nubia was kidnapped and he feared that he would never see her again and never get the chance to tell her that he loved her. However, thanks to Bakura, Nubia was saved and they finally confessed their feelings for one another._

_They had a family together. They had two sons and an adopted daughter, but that was soon taken away from him. He didn't get to see his sons grow up. He missed out on their life. He hoped that Nubia was all right raising them by herself. Nubia, what happened to her? _

Rebecca was working at the front desk of the museum. Larry had told her about Ahkmenrah earlier that morning. She was wondering what was wrong with him as well, but she knew he wouldn't talk to anyone until he was ready.

She was just getting ready for a tour group when Dr. McPhee came up to her with a smile. "I have some good news. We are getting another exhibit."

"That's wonderful. What is it?"

"Her name is Nubia and she is the wife of the pharaoh Ahkmenrah."

"They found his wife? That's great."

Rebecca was the only one who knew Ahkmenrah had a wife. She loved history and when she was researching about the pharaoh she found that he had a wife and three children. She asked him about it, but didn't want to talk about it. He asked her to keep it a secret until he was ready to talk and she promised she wouldn't tell anyone. The only thing she didn't know was how she died. In all of her research she couldn't find it.

"Yes, isn't it amazing? They found her a few months ago and have been doing autopsies to see how she died."

"How did she die?"

"It appears that she was in a battle. There was a slash on her back and leg so she probably died of blood loss."

"That must have been some battle."

"Yes, but I thought women for that time weren't allowed to fight."

"They weren't."

"I guess it will forever remain a mystery." Then he walked off.

_Or until she gets here. _Rebecca thought.

Rebecca now understood why Ahkmenrah was depressed. He was thinking of his family. She couldn't wait for tonight so she can tell him the wonderful news. He'll be so happy.

She wanted to tell Larry about the new exhibit they would be getting, but she wanted Ahkmenrah to be the first to know. She could hardly contain her excitement. When she and Larry went out to dinner before going to the museum she was smiling and practically bouncing out of her chair. He asked her what she was so happy about, but she kept her mouth shut until later that night.

Rebecca went straight to Ahkmenrah's tomb when they got to the museum. The sun soon set and Ahkmenrah stepped out of his sarcophagus; he was surprised to see Rebecca there.

"Rebecca, is something wrong?"

"No, everything is perfect. I got some good news today."

"Did Larry finally propose to you?"

"No, its better then that."

"You're pregnant?"

"Better. We are getting a new exhibit and it's your wife."

"Nubia? Nubia is coming here?"

Rebecca nodded. "Isn't that wonderful?"

"What about my children?"

Rebecca's smile faded. "There was no mention of them."

"So they aren't coming? It is just Nubia?"

This wasn't the reaction Rebecca was expecting. "I'm sorry."

"I am happy that Nubia is coming. At least I will get to see her."

Rebecca soon left to tell the others about the new addition to the museum. Ahkmenrah was happy that Nubia would be coming, but he was sad that his children would not. He wanted to see how they grew. He would just have to ask Nubia how his sons grew up to be and what Ava did.

After a few minutes of thinking it finally sunk in. Nubia was coming to the museum. He would finally be with her again. A smile appeared on his face as he thought about seeing her again. He couldn't wait for that night.

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**So there was the first part. It was mostly a recap, but the next one will be better. :)**


	2. Chapter 2

For the next few days Rebecca was helping in the Egyptian department making sure everything was ready for Nubia's arrival. She remembered when she told everyone about the new addition to the museum. They were all surprised when they found out that Ahkmenrah had a wife. He never mentioned anything, but they were hoping that when she got here the pharaoh would be in a better mood.

The other exhibits had been asking questions about Nubia. They wanted to know why Ahkmenrah never told them. The pharaoh ignored them for awhile, but some of them were persistent so he finally decided to tell them about his family.

After awhile Ahkmenrah wanted to be alone so he went to his tomb. Now the others knew about his wife and kids. He still couldn't believe that Nubia was coming to the museum. He thought he would never see her again. He was counting down the days to the day she would come.

"Hey Ahk."

Ahkmenrah turned around and saw Rebecca.

"I know you're sad your children won't be coming here. Will it make you feel a little better if I tell you what became of them?"

"Yes. I have always wondered what happened to them."

"Khufu was twelve when he took the throne. He married his sister Ava when he was about thirteen. They had three children. Bakura set up trading routes to different countries and married a Greek princess."

"Did Khufu and Bakura fight with each other?"

"No. the two of them helped each other and together they kept peace in Egypt for twenty years."

"That's good."

Ahkmenrah was glad that his two sons didn't fight for the throne like he and his brother did. They kept peace in Egypt by working together. He wished he and his brother were like that, but he can't change what happened.

The day finally came; the day that Nubia was shipped to the Museum of Natural History. Rebecca arrived early so she can make sure everything was in order for the new exhibit. She was excited to meet the wife of Ahkmenrah.

When the people arrived with Nubia, Rebecca told them to be very careful and yelled at them every time they were close to dropping or hitting the sarcophagus. In the pharaoh's tomb, Ahkmenrah was turned the other way so Nubia could be put next to him.

After a few hours everything was set up and Nubia was reunited with Ahkmenrah once again. Rebecca was very excited to meet her and see what she is like. She was still curious on how exactly Nubia died. Women weren't allowed to fight back then, and from all the research and tests done it say that Nubia was cut on her back and leg. Nubia wouldn't have gotten those cuts unless she was in a fight. Or maybe she was fleeing from a fight and got cut from behind.

So many questions were still unanswered and everyone in the world believed they would never know for sure, but Rebecca could find the truth. Of course she wasn't going to ask right away. She knew that brining up how a person died wasn't a good idea.

She remembered when Jed asked Ahkmenrah how he died and he was reluctant to talk about it. There was so much pain and sadness in his eyes. She believed that his death was before Nubia and it pained him that he had to leave her behind.

"There you go." One of the movers said. "The Queen is all set up."

"Thank you."

"I would be careful though."

Rebecca looked at him with confusion.

"Careful of what?"

"There is a curse on her. We don't know exactly what the curse is, but there was an inscription in the tomb she was found." Then he left.

Rebecca was now curious. After she made sure everything was perfect in the Egyptian department she went home to look up any new information on Nubia. Rebecca wasn't sure if she believed in curses. Of course she didn't believe the museum could come to life and she quickly changed her mind about that.

For the next couple of hours Rebecca researched as much as she could about Nubia. She found that there was a curse on Nubia, but it didn't say what the curse was. In the tomb where she was found there was an inscription on one of the walls. It said that a curse was placed upon Nubia at the time of her death, but it didn't say anything more then that.

What was the curse? And who put it on her? There were no stories about strange things happening when they took Nubia out of her tomb so maybe there was no curse. Then again if there wasn't a curse then why would it say in her tomb? Ahkmenrah wouldn't know because she was sure he died before her. And Nubia wouldn't know. If the curse was placed on her at the time of her death then she wouldn't have been alive to know about the curse.

Nothing was making any sense, but Rebecca decided not to worry about it now. Nothing strange had happened to the archeologists so until things start to happen she wasn't going to worry about the curse.

It was now close to sunset and Rebecca was practically bouncing off the walls.

"A little excited?" Larry asked.

"Well, it's not every day we get a new exhibit. And this exhibit is the wife of Ahkmenrah. I'm sure he will be excited to see her."

"You do know they might want to be alone for awhile."

"I know that. That's why I'm in the lobby and not in the Egyptian department."

The sun had finally set and Ahkmenrah quickly climbed out of his sarcophagus. When he got out he saw Nubia's sarcophagus, but he started to worry because he didn't hear any noise coming from it. When he was locked in his he would pound all night for someone to let him out. Why wasn't Nubia pounding to get out?

The pharaoh walked over, unlatched the sarcophagus and opened the lid. There she was, lying with her wrappings on.

"Nubia."


	3. Chapter 3

**Anything in italics is Nubia and Ahkmenrah talking in Egyptian.**

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Nubia sat up as she took her wrappings off. She looked at her surroundings then saw Ahkmenrah. Her eyes widened as she got out of the sarcophagus and started backing away.

_"Nubia-"_

Ahkmenrah took a step towards her, but she took a step back.

_"Nubia, it's me. You're all right."_

_"What's going on? Is this a new way to torture me?"_

Ahkmenrah looked at her with confusion. What did she mean about torture?

_"It's the tablet. It brought us back to life."_

Nubia glanced around and saw the tablet hanging on the wall. That thing brought much chaos. That's one of the reasons her life ended the way it did. She looked back at Ahkmenrah who was looking at her with concern.

_"Tell me something only you would know."_

_"What?"_

_"Tell me something Ahkmenrah would know that no one else would."_

Ahkmenrah didn't understand. Maybe coming back to life was a bigger shock to her then he thought it would be.

_"When you were seven you ran away because you didn't want to be a princess any more. You went to Bakura's house and he convinced you to go back."_

Nubia stared at him for a few minutes. She remembered telling Ahkmenrah that. The only other people that knew that she ran away was Bakura, and of course her parents.

She walked up to Ahkmenrah and looked at him in the eyes. She then smiled as she threw her arms around him.

"_Ahkmenrah, it is you. I thought I would never see you again. I love you so much."_

_"I love you too. I've missed you more then you can imagine."_

Ahkmenrah felt his shoulder getting wet. He pulled Nubia away and saw that she was crying.

_"What's wrong, my love?"_

_"Ahkmenrah, it was so horrible. I thought I would never get out. I was afraid I would be trapped there forever."_

_"Get out of where? What are you talking about?"_

_"I don't know where I was, but it was horrible. I was being tortured everyday. There were demons chasing me all the time."_

_"Weren't you in the afterlife?"_

_"It might have been, but it wasn't ours. It was different. It was like someone didn't want me to be at peace."_

_"You…you weren't at peace?"_

Nubia shook her head. _"No, there was no peace were I was at. It was_…"

Ahkmenrah saw that it was painful for Nubia to talk about so he decided to change the subject.

_"Would you like to see the museum?"_

_"What's a museum?"_

Ahkmenrah chuckled as he took Nubia's hand and led her out of the tomb. He would have to teach her about this new world like he was taught. This world was very different then their own.

As they were walking around the museum, Nubia was amazed at everything she saw. Much had changed from when she was alive. It would take some getting use to. She was happy that she was here with Ahkmenrah then where she was.

The last place they went was to the lobby where everyone was waiting. Nubia was nervous to meet them. She never did like big crowds or being the center of attention.

When the two of them walked into the lobby all eyes were on her. She grabbed Ahkmenrah's hand as she moved closer to him.

_"Don't worry. They are good people."_

_"You know how I am with people."_

"Hello everyone." Ahkmenrah said. "This is Nubia."

_"You can speak their language? How can you speak their language?"_

_"Well, I have been here for awhile so I picked up on it. In time you will as well."_

"Hey, speak English buddy." Jed said.

"Nubia doesn't yet understand your language. Until she learns I will have to translate."

"I can tell this is going to be buckets of fun."

_"Who is that small man? I don't know him and already he annoys me."_

Ahkmenrah laughed. _"He is Jed and he does have a big mouth for someone so small."_

Ahkmenrah introduced Nubia to everyone and translated what they said. She felt out of place because she was still trying to understand what was going on. She also felt left out when Ahkmenrah spoke to someone and she didn't know what they were saying. She would have to be a fast learning so she could understand them.

"You two seem to be attached to the hip." Jed said.

"I haven't seen her in over 3,000 years so of course we would be inseparable."

"If you were separated from your wife and she came to the museum I'm sure you would be by her side the whole night." Octavius told Jed.

"If I had a wife and she came to the museum there would be plenty of places for me to hide."

"With an attitude like that it's no wonder you never got married."

"Who said I did want to get married."

Nubia didn't understand what the two men were saying, but she could tell they were arguing.

_"What are they arguing about?" _She asked.

_"Marriage."_

_"Marriage is a wonderful thing."_

Nubia wrapped her arms around Ahkmenrah and kissed him.

_"I missed this."_

_"As did I."_

"Get a room." Jed said.

It was close to sunrise so everyone started heading back to their places. Nubia had Ahkmenrah tell everyone good-bye for her. She was hoping that learning their language wouldn't be hard. She couldn't wait to start talking and understanding everyone.

When they got to the tomb Nubia looked at her sarcophagus with dread. It was weird to think about that she was now alive during the night and dead during the day, but she did not want to go back. She was sure that even though she came to life she would still have to go back to that horrid place.

_"Nubia, are you all right?"_

Nubia shook her head. "_Yes, I'm just still getting use to all this."_

_"I understand. It's a lot to take in."_

Ahkmenrah helped Nubia into her sarcophagus then climbed into his own. He was so happy that Nubia was here and he was looking forward to spending the rest of his days with her.


	4. Chapter 4

**Just an FYI: this story takes place before the second movie.**

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It had been very exciting meeting Nubia. It was a little difficult to communicate since she doesn't speak English, but it was a good thing Ahkmenrah was there to translate.

Every night Larry saw Ahk was much happier since Nubia had come to the museum. Every night Ahk would spend a few hours teaching Nubia how to speak English. Larry was a little afraid about when she starts speaking. One night Jed was being his usual annoying self and irritated Nubia. She started going off on him in Egyptian. Jed asked for a translation, but Ahk said he didn't want to know what she said.

Right now Ahk and Nubia were having one of their private lessons; Nubia was getting frustrated.

_"This is impossible. I'll never learn."_

_"You've only been here a week. Give it time. Besides, you do know a few words."_

Nubia nodded. "Annoying little cowboy."

Ahkmenrah chuckled. _"Don't worry you'll be speaking English soon."_

_"I hope so. I don't like not understanding anyone. I miss our home."_

_"So do I, my love."_

After the two of them had their English lesson they went out to the lobby where a game of soccer was being held. It didn't take Nubia long to understand the game, but she didn't understand how kicking a ball into a net can be fun. Ahk said she would have to play some time.

After awhile Ahk decided that he was going to play. Nubia sat on the sidelines as she cheered him on. Everyone was having a fun time.

Suddenly Nubia froze with fear. One of the exhibits hit the soccer ball, sending it soaring through the air. All Nubia could see was a fire ball flying above a lava pit. Nubia closed her eyes for a few seconds then opened them and the room was back to normal. She shook her head as she walked out of the room. Rebecca saw her leave and followed her.

"Nubia, wait."

Nubia stopped and turned to face Rebecca.

"Nubia, are you all right?"

Nubia stared at Rebecca with a blank look. Rebecca sighed. She knew Nubia couldn't understand her. She wished there was some way she could communicate without always having Ahk to translate.

"Is something wrong?"

Rebecca tried using hand gestures to get her point cross, but it wasn't working. Nubia was looking at her with much confusion. Nubia said something in Egyptian, but Rebecca didn't understand. Nubia was probably saying she didn't understand either.

Just then Ahk waked up to Rebecca. "I was wondering where you went to."

"Nubia walked away and I was trying to see if she was ok. Its kind of hard when neither of us understand the other."

"I'll find out. _Nubia, are you all right?"_

_"I think that woman is ill."_

_"Why do you say that?"_

_"She was waving her hands around."_

_"She was trying to see if you were all right."_

Nubia didn't speak for a few minutes as she thought back to what she saw. She had been to that lava pit many times before and she was hoping that when she was awake she would get a break from the torture, but even when she's awake she still sees those frightful things.

_"Nubia?"_

_"I am fine."_

Ahkmenrah gave her a skeptical look. _"Are you sure?"_

_"Yes, I'm fine." _Nubia smiled.

"She's says she's fine." Ahkmenrah told Rebecca.

"You don't believe her?"

"I know when something is bothering her. Nubia is just stubborn, very stubborn. She won't tell me until she is ready."

"She might just still be getting use to things. Coming back to life after 3,000 years can be quite a shock."

"Perhaps you are right."

Ahkmenrah didn't believe that was what was bothering Nubia. Nubia had said before that she hasn't been to the afterlife. She was somewhere else, but she didn't go into much details. What happened to her after he died? He never asked before because he knew how painful talking about death could be especially your own.

After awhile Ahkmenrah and Nubia went back to their tomb. The rest of the night Nubia had been distant and he wanted to know why.

_"Please tell me what is wrong."_

_"I've told you-"_

_"I don't believe you. Something happened to you. What happened after…when I left?"_

Nubia sighed. _"I failed that's what happened. I went after Kahmunrah and I killed him."_

_"What happened after that?" _Ahkmenrah asked gently.

_"I…I lost too much blood. I didn't…"_

Nubia couldn't finish her sentence. It was hard to admit that she died and it was weird to say when she was standing there alive.

Nubia looked at her husband with tears in her eyes. _"I failed you. I couldn't save you. And I failed our children. They grew up without parents because of me. Ava already lost her real parents and that was hard on her. Who knows what it was like for her when she lost her second parents."_

Ahkmenrah went over and wrapped his arms around her. _"You didn't fail. If either of us has failed it is me. I should have been stronger. It was my duty to protect you and I couldn't."_

_"You don't always have to be the strong one."_

_"And you don't have to be strong all the time. Please tell me what is bothering you. I know there is more."_

Nubia sighed as she pulled away from Ahkmenrah. _"I keep seeing images. Images of when I'm asleep."_

_"I want to help you, but I can't do that unless you tell me everything."_

_"I've told you everything. I don't know where I go or why. I'm in this place where I have to run for my life. I know I'm already…dead, but I don't know what will happen to me if I die in that place. I don't know how I got there or how to get out. All I know is that place is meant to torture me."_

_"Maybe it is a curse."_

_"Then someone obviously doesn't want me to be happy."_

Ahkmenrah felt helpless. Nubia was suffering and there was nothing he could do to help her. He then thought of something. It was a long shot, but it was the only thing he could think of at the moment to help his wife.

He made his way to the lobby, hoping there might be a chance. "Rebecca, I need your help."

"What is it?"

"Nubia is being tortured while she sleeps. I don't know all the details. All I know is she hasn't been in the afterlife. I need you to do some research and see if you can find anything about when she died."

"I did some research when she arrived, but I didn't find much."

"Please look again. If Nubia is cursed then I need to know how to end it."

"I'll do what I can."

"Thank you."

Ahkmenrah couldn't understand what was going on. If they died at the same time then why was only Nubia cursed? Who would curse her? He was hoping that Rebecca could find something so they could help Nubia. He didn't like to see her in pain.


	5. Chapter 5

It was Rebecca's day off and she spent most of the day trying to find anything that had to do with Nubia's death. All she could find was that Nubia was involved in a battle and she died from her wounds. There had to be something she was missing.

After awhile she decided to take a break. She tried many different websites and typed in everything from Nubia's death to Nubia's cures, but nothing came up. If Nubia was cursed there was no record of it at all.

"Can't find anything?" Larry asked as he came up behind Rebecca.

"There's nothing. There's no record of Nubia being cursed, but I don't want to stop looking. I don't want to fail them."

"Even if you could find the curse on her, what would that do? I don't think there are any ways to break it."

"You might be right, but Ahkmenrah asked me to look for him and that's what I'm going to do."

"Well, that's fine, but I'm making you take a break now."

While the two of them went out to have fun, Nubia was running for her life.

Nubia was use to running and hiding. There wasn't a minute that she had to rest. If by some chance she did get a minute of peace she spent it trying to figure out where to go and what the best hiding spots were. She was alone in this world and she had to survive in it alone.

Nubia hid behind a boulder as she peered around to the other side, looking for the monster that was chasing her. There was no sign of it, but Nubia didn't let her guard down. She knew that just because she didn't see the monster doesn't mean it's not there.

A growl came from behind Nubia. She slowly turned and came face to face with a Minotaur. It balled its fist and went to punch Nubia; she quickly ducked then started running. She didn't know what would happen if she was caught by one of these monsters and she wasn't going to find out.

She ran passed a cave, knowing that monsters dwelled in there. She could remember the last time she hid in a cave. She had been running from a different monster then and thought she would be safe in the cave, but she was wrong. As she hid in the darkness of the cave she backed up into something sticky. She tried to get herself free and as she did a giant spider crawled out of the shadows. Luckily she got free before the spider could attack. Since then Nubia had never gone in another cave.

Nubia soon grew tired of running and took a chance to stop. She looked behind her and saw that she was no longer being chased. She glanced all around her, but didn't see any monster. She knew that the only reason the monsters would stop chasing her is because they were either being chased by a bigger monster or found something else to entertain themselves for the moment.

She thought it a good thing that she was already dead and didn't need food to survive. The place that she was at was a wasteland. There was nothing, but dirt, rocks and lava. In all of her time here she didn't see anything grow. She wondered how the monsters survived, but if she was in another world maybe they didn't need food to survive either.

Even though Nubia didn't need water or food to survive, she could still feel the harsh weather. The sun above her shone down with hot rays; she could still pass out from exhaustion so she had to find some shade. It was never easy to find shelter from the heat since not even a single tree grew on the land.

Nubia only made it a few feet before she collapsed to her knees. She was tired of the heat and tired of running. She wanted all of this to end, but she didn't know how to do that.

A noise made Nubia look around frantically. Her eyes landed on a hydra closing in on her. She quickly stood up and started running. She had learned fast that if one head is cut from the hydra then two more grows in its place.

She ran up a mountain, hoping that it would slow the hydra down. She could hear the hydra growl and it sounded close, but she didn't dare look back.

Soon she came to a gap in the ground with lava below. She glanced behind her and saw the hydra catching up. Nubia took a deep breath as she jumped to the other side. She missed landing on the other side, but quickly grabbed onto the ledge. She tried to pull herself up, though she didn't have much strength left in her arms.

Nubia heard a growl behind her and turned her head t see the hydra with its many heads staring at her. One of the heads went to bite her. Nubia did the only thing she could do and that was to let go. She fell down to the lava below as she closed her eyes, waiting for impact.

After a few minutes Nubia didn't feel any pain. She opened one eye and was greeted by darkness. Relief washed over her as she realized where she was, though she didn't move. She was so close to hitting the lava; so close to everything ending. Part of her wanted to hit the lava, but the other part was glad she didn't.

She still wanted to know what would happen. Would she die again and go to her afterlife? Or would she cease to exist?

Nubia was snapped out of her thoughts when the lid to her sarcophagus opened. Ahkmenrah was smiling at her, but his smiling quickly vanished when he saw the fear in his wife's eyes. Nubia sat up and wrapped her arms around him.

_"Ahkmenrah, I was so scared."_

_ "It's all right. Whatever happened is over now. I'm here."_

_ "No, it's not over. I will go back when the sun rises."_

Ahkmenrah didn't know what she was going through, but he knew it was bad. Nubia was shaking as tears streamed down her face. Ahkmenrah felt so helpless. His wife was suffering and there was nothing he could do to help her. He was hoping that Rebecca found something.

As the two of them headed to the lobby, Nubia would not let go of her husband's hand. She was still terrified about what happened and even the slightest sound made he jump. Ahkmenrah kept reassuring her that she was safe, but that did nothing to ease her fear.

When they got to the lobby Ahkmenrah wasted no time in asking Rebecca if she had found anything.

"I'm sorry Ahk, but I couldn't find anything. I'm running out of places to look."

"Please keep trying. There has to be something."

"I'll keep looking, but I don't know what else to try."

As the two of them were talking, Nubia glanced over at Nick who was reading a book. All the words were foreign to her, but she did recognize the picture. She started panicking as she spoke in Egyptian.

"What's wrong with her?" Jed asked. "And what's she saying?"

_"Nubia, what's wrong?"_

_ "That monster." _Nubia pointed to Nick's book. _"That's one of the monsters that chase me."_

Nubia turned her head as Ahkmenrah held her. He looked at the picture and saw a monster with three heads.

"What is that?" He asked.

"It's called a hydra." Nick answered. "It's from Greek mythology. Why?"

Greek. He should have realized. Why didn't he figure it out sooner? He felt stupid that he hadn't thought of it before.

"I know who cursed Nubia. It was Cyrena."

* * *

**For any of you who don't know: a minotaur has a head of a bull and the body of a man. (Was slain by Theseus)  
**

**A hydra is a water serpent with many heads. (Was slain by Hercules; his second labor.)  
**


	6. Chapter 6

It took awhile for Ahkmenrah to get Nubia to calm down. She was very hysterical when she saw the picture of the hydra. He had never seen her so frightened before. Nubia was always brave and rarely showed when she was afraid. Whatever she had to go through must be very bad.

After awhile Nubia finally calmed down, but she was still shaky a little. She felt better when Nick put away the book. There were probably more monsters that she knew in there and she didn't want to see them while she was awake.

"Who's Cyrena?" Larry asked.

"She is…was a Greek princess." Ahkmenrah explained. "She had a relationship with my brother. They started a battle and tried to take the tablet. Nubia and I fought and that's how I…" He couldn't finish the sentence.

"So why would she curse Nubia and not you?" Rebecca asked.

Ahkmenrah looked at Nubia. _"Nubia, I know who cursed you. It was Cyrena. Do you know why she would curse only you?"_

_ "Cyrena? That insensitive, conniving, spoiled princess?"_

_ "That's the one. We both fought her and Kahmunrah so why were you the only one she cursed?" _

_"Ahkmenrah, when you…after you…I fought Kahmunrah and I killed him. Maybe I was the one she cursed because I killed him."_

_ "It should have been me."_

_ "Don't blame yourself, love. What's done is done and we can't change it."_

Ahkmenrah just nodded. He knew he couldn't change what happened, but he still felt guilty. He should be the one suffering, not Nubia. She doesn't deserve this.

"Translation please." Jed said.

"She believes that Cyrena cursed her because she was the one who killed my brother."

"Then how do we break it?" Sacagawea asked. "Are we going to need the person who placed the curse?"

"If we do, that's not going to be easy." Larry said.

"It might even be impossible." Teddy said. "We don't know where she was buried or if her remains were even found."

Ahkmenrah looked at Nubia who was standing there with confusion on her face. She still couldn't understand English so she had no idea what they were saying.

"We have to find something." He said. "I can't bare Nubia suffering any more."

"I'll do research on Cyrena." Rebecca said.

_"Don't worry Nubia, we'll find a way to save you."_

_ "If there even is a way."_

That night, like every other night, Nubia was afraid to get back in her sarcophagus. She didn't want to go back to that place and she wished everything would just end. There were times when she wanted to die there to see what would happen, but something always stopped her.

She looked over at her husband and smiled. If she did die in that other world she might just vanish and then she wouldn't see Ahkmenrah again. She would go through any torment just to see him.

_ "Nubia, I don't know what you go through in that place, but I will always be here for you."_

_ "I know. You are the only thing that keeps me going."_

Nubia kissed him. Whenever she was with him everything seemed to fade away. He made her forget all her worries and fears.

When Nubia arrived back in the cursed place she never appeared where she last was. Each time she came back she was in a different place which was fine with her especially since the last time she was falling into a river of lava.

She stood where she was for a few minutes, thinking about Cyrena. From the first time she met her, Nubia knew she didn't like her. Her feeling proved right when she found out Cyrena was with Kahmunrah. Now she finds out that she was the one who cursed her. She didn't think there was a way to break the curse at least not without Cyrena.

Nubia was snapped out of her thoughts when she heard a howl in the distance. She decided it was time to move before a monster found her.

Rebecca still wasn't sure what she was looking for exactly. She knew she was looking for a princess named Cyrena, but that was about it. The information that she did find was about Cyrena's early life and when she was about twenty-four she married and Egyptian prince. It also said that she went to Egypt with him at one point, but after that there was nothing. What happened when Ahkmenrah and Nubia died? What did Cyrena do after she placed the curse on Nubia?

* * *

**I know this one is really short and I apologize. I was thinking about the curse and how to break it so I have a question for everyone: do you want Cyrena to come to the museum?**

**I need input on this so I know where to take the story. Thank you and I hope you enjoy the story so far.  
**


	7. Chapter 7

It had been a month and Rebecca still couldn't find anything about the curse that was placed on Nubia. She was beginning to think the curse was made up. She had tried everything she could think of, but she always came up empty. She didn't understand why there was a warning in Nubia's tomb about a curse, but there was nothing else about it. Maybe that was just put there to stop grave robbers. All she could find was that Cyrena died of poison and was now in a museum in Greece. It said nothing about a curse.

Ahkmenrah wanted Rebecca to keep looking, but Nubia didn't want her to. She figured that it had been a month and nothing could be found so there was no sense in wasting more of Rebecca's time. Ahkmenrah tried to talk to Nubia that there had to be something, but Nubia disagreed. She didn't mind though. All the torment was worth it because she got to see the love of her life and that was worth it.

On the bright side, Nubia could now speak and understand more English. She still had a hard time understanding some things, but for the most part she knew what everyone was talking about. Some of the exhibits didn't know if her learning English was a good idea because now she and Jed always had arguments. When Nubia really got annoyed she would go off in Egyptian and Ahkmenrah always refused to translate.

At the moment Jed was walking back to the diorama room in a huff. He just had an argument with Nubia and both Octavius and Ahkmenrah thought it was a stupid fight, but that didn't stop the argument…that was until Jed stomped off.

"That Egyptian Queen doesn't know what she's talking about. I'm much more experienced in this stuff then she is. What does she know?"

"She was right, though." Octavius said.

"Columbus was right."

"He fowled. Everyone saw it and Nubia called it."

"One stinking game of soccer and she thinks she's an expert."

"Why are you so upset Columbus lost anyway?"

"I had a bet with another cowboy that he's team would win."

"And what happens now that you lost the bet?"

"Don't know and that's what I'm afraid of."

Jed suddenly stopped as he looked around. He had seen something move out of the corner of his eye, but when he turned there was nothing there. The small cowboy shrugged as he continued on his way.

Back in the lobby Nubia was celebrating her first win of soccer. Everyone was surprised at how fast she learned how to play the game. Nubia didn't think it was that hard to learn. All you had to do was kick the ball in the net.

"I still can't believe you argued with Jed about the fowl." Ahkmenrah said.

"Those are the rules aren't they? So I was just following the rules."

"Is she always this argumentative?" Larry asked.

"Yes she is and very stubborn."

Just then the lights flickered. Everyone looked around with confusion. There wasn't a thunderstorm so why did the lights flicker? It was weird since there wasn't anything going on that would cause the lights to flicker, but everyone pushed it aside and thought nothing more about it.

The time soon came for the sun to rise and all the exhibits went back to their own places. Nubia had such a fun night that she didn't even have a fear about going back to the other world. For a moment she even forgot all about it.

When she did arrive, the happiness she had quickly vanished as she came face to face with a monster. She wasted no time in running in the opposite direction. Nubia swore that if she ever saw Cyrena again that she would make her pay. She wasn't sure what she was going to do since she would already be dead, but Nubia would think of something.

Nubia found a crevice so she made her way down and out of sight. She held her breath as the monster came closer to her hiding spot. The monster stopped near the opened. Nubia pressed herself against the wall, hoping the monster wouldn't see her. Closing her eyes, she thought about a time when life seemed simpler then what it is now.

_Ten year old Nubia hid behind the palace wall with a smile on her face. She peered around the wall, waiting to see what was going to happen. She was too busy on what was going to happen that she didn't hear someone coming up behind her. The person tapped her on the shoulder and Nubia jumped. She turned around to see a smiling Bakura._

_ "Kura, don't do that to me."_

_ "Sorry. What are you looking at so intently?"_

_ "The guards. They are about to walk right into my trap."_

_ Nubia turned her attention back to the guards; Bakura peered around to see what Nubia had done this time._

_ The guards were too busy talking amongst themselves that they didn't see the rope that was laid across the ground. One of the guards tripped over the rope and that triggered the bucket that was over head to fall, soaking them all in red wine._

_ Nubia couldn't contain her laughter as the guards were now stained red. Bakura shook his head._

_ "What am I going to do with you?"_

_ "Keep me and love me. You have to admit that was funny."_

_ Bakura looked back over at the guards who were complaining and wondering who was responsible. _

_ "Yes, it was funny." Bakura chuckled._

_ "I know who did it." One of the guards said. "It was the princess."_

_ Nubia stopped laughing as she looked over at the guards who were all glaring at her. She grabbed Bakura's hand and started running._

_ "Why are we running? They can't do anything to you."_

_ "They can give me a lecture. I already to get that from my tutors. I don't need it from the guards."_

_ "Then why do you do that to them?"_

_ "Because it entertains me."_

_ "You aren't like other princesses."_

_ Nubia suddenly stopped which made Bakura run into her._

_ "Why'd you stop?"_

_ Nubia turned around to look at him. "Have you met many princesses?"_

_ "No, but I'm sure most princesses would at least act like they're royal and not some peasant kid."_

_ "Just because I'm a princess doesn't mean I can't have fun. Life would be so boring."_

_ "I pity the man who marries you. I don't think anyone else will be able to keep up with you and your antics."_

_ "Then I guess you'll have to be the one who marries me since you can keep up."_

_ Nubia kissed Bakura on the cheek then took off running in a fir of giggles. Bakura just stood there, unsure of what just happened. Once he realized what Nubia said he chased after her._

_ "I don't want to marry you. You're my best friend. It will be too weird."_

_ "You know you want to."_

_ "Do not."_

_ "Liar."_

A tear rolled down Nubia's face as she thought about her best friend. She missed Bakura so much. She had often wished that she could go back to those days. Go back to when she didn't have a worry in the world.

She was snapped out of her thoughts when the monsters growled and she thought he spotted her. She glanced up and saw the monster walking away. She waited a few more minutes before she made her way out of the crevice.

Rebecca was at work, but her mind was somewhere else. She didn't want to give up on Nubia, but she didn't know what else she could do. She looked up everything she could on Nubia and Cyrena, both coming up empty. If there was a curse then all records of it had to have been destroyed, but who would do that? And why?

"Wonderful news." Dr. McPhee said as he walked up to Rebecca. "Not only did we get an Egyptian Queen, but now we are getting a Greek Queen."

"A Greek Queen?"

Rebecca knew that Cyrena was Greek, but it couldn't be that easy. There were hundreds of queens so odds were Cyrena wasn't the one they were getting.

"Yes. She married and Egyptian prince, but when they were visiting Egypt he died. When she went back to her country she remarried. She'll arrive in a few weeks."

Rebecca couldn't believe what she was hearing. What were the chances that Cyrena was coming here? It seemed too good to be true.

"Why are we getting her? Isn't she in a museum in Greece?"

"Yes, but the museum I spoke to said something about wanting America to know about Greek history or something like that."

She was in disbelief. Out of all the museums in the world they chose this one. Why do they want her here? Wouldn't they want Cyrena to stay in Greece since she is part of their history? She didn't want to question it since Cyrena coming means they can get information on the curse, but it seemed like something else was going on. It seemed strange that the Greek queen would be coming here where the Egyptian queen resides.

When Rebecca told Larry what was going on he told her not to think about it so much, but she couldn't help it. The whole thing seemed planned. It seemed too perfect.

That night Rebecca told Nubia and Ahkmenrah about Cyrena coming. The pharaoh questioned it much like Rebecca had, though Nubia had different thoughts. She didn't care why Cyrena was coming here. She just couldn't wait for that night. Cyrena won't know what's coming.


	8. Chapter 8

Two months had passed and everything was ready for the new exhibit. Cryena was suppose to show up tomorrow morning so Rebecca was going to be here to make sure everything went right. She still wondered why she was coming here. Larry had told her she was thinking about it too much, but Rebecca couldn't help feeling that there was something else going on. It was such a strange coincidence.

Nubia couldn't wait for the Greek princess to show up. She was going to get this curse lifted one way or another. Ahkmenrah was a little worried about his wife. She seemed cruel then before. She spoke of how she was going to get the answer on how to break the curse even if that meant torturing Cyrena. He had never seen Nubia like this and it was starting to scare him. She never liked violence even when it came to her enemies. She always tried to find another way to sort things out.

The morning came and Rebecca arrived at the museum early to make sure everything was ready. She spent a few hours getting things organized then finally the crate arrived. Rebecca tried to act happy that the museum was getting a new exhibit, but she was nervous about what was going to happen tonight.

When the truck stopped a girl around her mid twenties stepped out and walked up to Rebecca. She had her black hair braided back and wore glasses.

"My name is Kendra. I'm here to deliver Cyrena."

"I'm Rebecca. I'll show you where she's going."

As Rebecca showed Kendra where Cyrena was going to two of them talked. Rebecca asked her about Cyrena. Maybe Kendra knew more since she was from Greece. Before she could ask anything Kendra got distracted by something. They had passed the Egyptian exhibit, but Kendra back up and peered in.

"Is this where Ahkmenrah and Nubia are?"

"Yes."

"I've read so much about them." Kendra said as she walked in. "It's sad that they died young."

"I've read that Cyrena put a curse on Nubia. Do you know anything about that?"

For a moment Kendra didn't answer. She gazed at the two sarcophagi as she trailed her hand along Nubia's. Her eyes then wandered to the tablet. "Nope, haven't heard about that."

There was something about Kendra that Rebecca didn't like. She wasn't sure what it was, but she got a strange feeling from her. Rebecca pushed it aside and thought it wasn't important. After a few minutes the two of them continued on their way.

Kendra inspected the room and after a long moment she turned to Rebecca and smiled. "This is perfect. It shouldn't take more then an hour to get Cyrena settles in."

Then Kendra left.

While the new exhibit was being set up, Rebecca was keeping a close eye on them especially Kendra. She still had a strange feeling and she could shake it off. It was probably nothing, but the feeling kept coming back. She was glad when Kendra and her crew were finally done.

Rebecca followed Kendra out, but as they passed the Egyptian exhibit, Kendra stopped and glanced in.

"Is there a reason you stopped?" Rebecca asked.

"Huh? Oh no. I just wanted to look in here one last time. I love Egyptian history. It's said that Ahkmenrah and Nubia were one of the greatest rulers. It's so sad what happened to them especially Nubia."

"What do you mean by that?"

Kendra looked at Rebecca and smiled. "Nothing. Just forget I said anything."

"Do you know more about Nubia's death?"

"All I know is what I've found in books and the internet. Even though it would be cool to know how she really died it doesn't matter now. That was thousands of years ago. Why do you want to know so much? It's not like Nubia will come to life and you can tell her what happened after her death."

There was a strange look in Kendra's eye that Rebecca couldn't place. Did Kendra know more then what she was letting on? Did she know that Nubia did come to life? No, that's impossible. No one besides her, Larry and Nick know the museum comes to life.

"Ahkmenrah and Nubia's death has fascinated me for a long time. So much mystery is surrounded by their death and what happened to them after. I am just curious."

"If you did know everything then that would take the fun out of not knowing. If you knew then there would be no need for you to look any more, would there?"

Kendra was a strange one and Rebecca wasn't sad to see her go. For the rest of the day though, Rebecca couldn't stop thinking about what Kendra said. It seemed like she knew something, but wouldn't say. What reason would she have for keeping it a secret though?

"I'm telling you, Larry, she knows something." Rebecca said at lunch.

"How do you know? Maybe she's just mysterious like that."

"You didn't see her. It was…she was strange."

"Maybe that's her personality."

"I think she's hiding something. She was looking at the tablet and then she said that it wasn't possible for Nubia to come to life."

Larry raised an eyebrow. "Well, she doesn't know that the whole museum comes to life. It's not that unusual for someone to say that."

"It wasn't what she said; it's how she said it. It's hard to explain. You had to be there to know what I mean."

"I think you're looking too much into this. She was just a strange girl and she's going back to Greece. You won't see or hear from her again."

Rebecca sighed. "I guess you're right."

"Besides, we have bigger problems to worry about. Ahk and Nubia had a fight with Cyrena and now she's at the museum. I have a feeling this isn't going to be a good reunion."

"Isn't today your day to have Nick? Are you going to let him come?"

"I told his mom that I wasn't feeling well and I didn't want Nick to catch it. I don't know what's going to happen so I don't want him to be in the middle of it."

Rebecca smiled. "You're a good dad."

Night soon came and both Rebecca and Larry were nervous. They had no idea what was going to happen when the sun went down. one thing they knew for sure was that there was going to be a fight.


	9. Chapter 9

**I know the last one was really short, but this one is longer to make up for it. Enjoy :)

* * *

**

Nubia was quick to get out of her sarcophagus when she woke up. She knew Cyrena had come that morning and she couldn't wait to have a few words with her. She didn't even wait for Ahkmenrah to get out before she went in search of Cyrena. She knew where the new exhibit was going to be so she quickly made her way there.

When she got there she saw Cyrena looking around with a baffled expression. Anger over took Nubia. She could still remember what Cyrena did. It was her fault for what happened and she was going to pay for all the suffering she had to endure.

"Cyrena, I've waited for the day we met again."

Cyrena turned around and glared at Nubia. "I demand to know what is going on here. Where am I and how did I get here?"

"First you should answer my question. What did you do to me? Reverse whatever you did."

Cyrena smirked. "I take it you don't like my parting gift. It makes me sad that you don't like it. I put a lot of thought into it."

"Lift the curse or I'll-"

"You'll what? You can't kill me. I'm already dead."

Nubia lunged at Cyrena with her fist bawled, aiming a punch at her face. "I may not be able to kill you, but I can still hurt you."

Back in the Egyptian room, Ahkmenrah climbed out of his sarcophagus and saw that Nubia wasn't in the room. He had a bad feeling so he quickly went to the room Cyrena would be staying. As he was running he passed Larry and Rebecca. Larry didn't bother asking where the pharaoh was going since he already knew. The couple followed Ahkmenrah as they wondered what would happen now.

The three of them arrived in the room and was shocked at what they saw. Nubia had Cyrena pinned to the ground with a knife aimed at her throat.

"Nubia." Ahkmenrah said as he took a step towards them.

Nubia glanced back at her husband with much rage in her eyes. Ahkmenrah had never seen her like this before. It was like Nubia was a different person. The young pharaoh was afraid of what Nubia would do.

"I'm going to get the answer out of her one way or another." Nubia turned her attention back to Cyrena.

"Well look who showed up." Cyrena said as she spotted Ahkmenrah. "Is Kahmunrah here as well?"

"No, which is a good thing for him."

Cyrena didn't look at all frightened even though she had a knife close to her neck. She looked amused.

"Tell me how to end the curse."

"No. you got what you deserved."

"I was only protecting my country and my family. You're the one who deserves to be cursed."

"So curse me. Oh, but you can't because you don't know any curses. You were the good princess."

Nubia raised the knife and was about to stab Cyrena, but Ahkmenrah quickly caught her hand and pulled her away.

"Let me go." Nubia said as she struggled. "I'm going to kill her."

"I don't think that will work." Larry said.

"Then I'll torture her. I'll cause he so much pain she'll wish she's dead again."

"Nubia my love, please calm down."

"Calm down? You're telling me to calm down? You don't live in the hell I do. You don't know what it's like to run for your life from monsters twice your size. You don't know what it's like to be so afraid."

Cyrena laughed. "Sounds like the curse worked very well."

Nubia glared at Cyrena as she continued to struggle against Ahkmenrah.

"You are a coward. You couldn't kill me yourself and even now you refuse to fight me."

"If you want a fight I'll give you one. I won't hold back."

"Ahkmenrah, let me go so I can fight her."

"But-"

"Don't make me hurt you too."

Ahkmenrah released Nubia. This was the first time she had threatened him. He had never seen Nubia like this before and it frightened him. Would she actually hurt him if he stood in her way?

"This is a bad idea." Larry said. "We can't let them fight every night."

"We can't stop them." Rebecca said. "Nubia will do whatever she can to break the curse."

"I suppose we could just lock the door so they can't hurt anyone else."

"We aren't going to do that." Ahkmenrah said. "I won't leave Nubia alone with Cyrena or even lock her in the same room."

Ahkmenrah watched helplessly from the side. He wished there was something he could do to help his wife, but he couldn't break the curse. And there was no way he could stop her from fighting Cyrena.

In another part of the museum, two small exhibits were making there way to the Greek room. They also knew that Cyrena had come that morning and knew that Nubia had a bad history with her. They went to make sure Nubia would be all right. There wouldn't be much the two of them could do, but that never stopped them from helping a friend in trouble.

Jed was talking about all the things he would do to Cyrena if he hurt Nubia when he was interrupted by a growl.

"Please tell me that was your stomach."

"I don't think my stomach can growl." Octavius said.

"We didn't get another exhibit that were weren't informed about, did we?"

"All I know is Cyrena was coming."

There was a growl again and this time it sounded closer. The two turned around and came face to face with a monster.

"Nubia said that she is stuck in a place with monsters that chase her, right?" Octavius nodded. "Do you think the monsters can come to life like Nubia?"

"I wouldn't be surprised and I think this is proof of that."

The monster growled again and both of them took off running, neither daring to look back. When they got to the others they were out of breath.

"What's wrong with you two?" Larry asked.

"Th…there is…a monster…" Jed said between breaths.

"A monster? What kind of monster?"

"We didn't stay long enough to ask." Octavius said.

A loud growl was heard making everyone turn towards the door. Nubia and Cyrena stopped fighting as they took looked to see what was going on.

Suddenly a monster barged into the room making everyone except Cyrena run to the other side of the room. Ahkmenrah had never seen a creature like this before. It had the body of a lion with a snake for a tail and a goat head sprouting from its back.

"What is that thing?"

"That is a chimera." Cyrena answered. "Isn't it wonderful?"

"So not only do we have to deal with an evil, stuck up princess, but now we have to deal with monsters coming to life?" Jed asked. Cyrena glared at the little cowboy.

"Where did it come from?" Rebecca asked.

"My guess is it came alive when Nubia did."

"How is that possible?" Larry was very confused and he wasn't the only one.

Nubia looked at the chimera with fear. This wasn't the first time she encountered one and she was sure it was the same one. The chimera looked at her, opened its mouth and blew fire. Nubia was paralyzed not only with fear, but also guilt. She was responsible for the chimera showing up.

Ahkmenrah saw that Nubia wasn't moving so he quickly ran towards her and pushed her out of the way, both falling to the ground.

"What are we going to do?" Larry asked.

"If it comes to life at night like the rest of the museum maybe it will disappear when the sun rises." Rebecca said.

"But that's still ten hours from now. How are we going to keep it from hurting people?"

"Lock it up with the Greek princess." Jed suggested.

"That would be a wasted effort." Cyrena said. "The chimera would be able to break down the door."

Ahkmenrah looked over at Nubia and saw much fear in her eyes. He was beginning to understand what she had to go through. This creature was very frightening. He couldn't imagine running from this and other monsters for hours on end.

"Why don't we let it outside?" Jed asked. "It might turn to dust in the morning."

"And let it destroy half of New York? I don't think so." Larry said.

The chimera growled as it jumped towards Rebecca. Larry grabbed her hand and ran out of the way. Cyrena stood back, smirking at everyone's fear.

"I have an idea." Ahkmenrah said. He got the chimera's attention. He then took off running with the chimera right behind him. Everyone followed to see what he had planned, everyone except Nubia and Cyrena.

Nubia stayed on the floor, afraid to move. She thought coming to the museum she would be safe. She didn't think the monsters would be able to follow her. How is it possible that the monster could come to the museum? It didn't make any sense.

Nubia was snapped out of her thoughts when she heard a laugh. She looked over at Cyrena.

"This is so good to watch. Do you feel sorry yet?"

Nubia glared at her as she stood up. "I'm not sorry for killing Kahmunrah. He tried many times to take the throne from Ahkmenrah and tried to kill us. You can never understand that. You're just as evil as he was."

"I'm going to make you regret everything." Then Cyrena lunged at Nubia.

Ahkmenrah ran into his tomb, hoping his plan would work. If not then he didn't know what else to do.

_"There is a creature chasing after me. Stop it." _He said to the jackals as he entered the room.

The jackals looked towards the entrance and soon saw the chimera. Both jackals went and grabbed the chimera. The chimera struggled, but the jackals didn't let go. Ahkmenrah was hoping that would work until sunrise.

"That's one way to stop it." Larry said when he saw the jackals.

"Hopefully it will last. Where's Nubia?"

Everyone looked around. "I thought she was behind me." Rebecca said.

They all ran back to where they last were and saw that Nubia was sitting in a corner with her hands over her ears while Cyrena laughed. Ahkmenrah ran over there and punched Cyrena, shocking both Larry and Rebecca.

Ahkmenrah helped Nubia up. He was worried about her. She looked very scared.

"What did you do to her?" Ahkmenrah glared at Cyrena.

"I just told her the truth. She's going to have to face facts."

"About what?"

"That's between me and her."

Suddenly Nubia lunged at Cyrena, but Ahkmenrah held her back. "Let me go. I'm going to rip her head off."

"And you call yourself a queen? You should be ashamed."

Ahkmenrah didn't know what had happened when he left, but he knew he had to get Nubia out of here before she did something. With some difficulty he got her out of the room as Nubia continued to struggle.

"Nubia, what did she say?"

Nubia stopped struggling. "It doesn't matter."

"It matters to me."

"Well, it doesn't concern you." Nubia snapped.

Ahkmenrah let her go. He was really worried about his wife and wanted to know what happened. He had never seen her like this before and it was scaring him.

"I'm only trying to help."

"You can't help. No one can. This is something I have to deal with on my own." Nubia stormed off, leaving Ahkmenrah confused and a little hurt.

For the rest of the night Nubia avoided everyone while Ahkmenrah stayed in his tomb. Larry and Rebecca were worried about both of them, but knew there was nothing they could do. Rebecca felt useless and wished there was something she could do.

When it was almost sunrise Nubia came in the tomb and got in her sarcophagus without even looking at Ahkmenrah. He opened his mouth to say something, but then closed it. He didn't feel like getting yelled at at the moment.

The sun soon came up and Larry went to the Egyptian exhibit to see if the chimera was still there. He was a little nervous to see what he would find. To his surprise the chimera was gone. He was relieved, but at the same time nervous. He didn't know what was going to happen tonight.


	10. Chapter 10

It had been a very long night, but Rebecca couldn't rest. She had to go to work. She looked at Larry who was passed out on the bed. Shaking her head she left the apartment. At least someone could get their rest.

When she got to work it started at the any other day. She gave a few tours and answered any questions the guests had. It wasn't until noon that she had an unexpected visitor.

"Hello Ms. Hutman."

Rebecca stopped what she was doing and looked up, shocked at who she saw.

"It's Kendra, right? I thought you would be on your way to Greece."

"I was looking around you city and I enjoyed what I saw so I decided to stay here for a few months."

"Don't you have a job to get back to?"

"My father owns the museum so he doesn't mind if I take a vacation. Besides, he always says I work too hard and need to take more time off so I'm taking his advice."

"Where are you staying?"

"I've found a nice little apartment. Well, I need to be going. I hope to run into again soon." Then she left.

Rebecca thought it strange that Kendra decided to stay. What reason would she have? Nothing was making any sense. Maybe she didn't even work for a museum. One way or another Rebecca was going to find out about Kendra.

During her break, Rebecca decided to call the museum where Kendra worked, if she worked there at all. She knew something was going on and she had to find out what it was. Greece was seven hours ahead of New York so it would be around eight o'clock. She was hoping someone would still be there.

She dialed the number and after a few rings she was beginning to think that no one was around. Then finally someone answered.

"Athens City Museum, how can I help you?"

"My name is Rebecca Hutman and I work at the museum in New York where Cyrena was sent. I'm sorry to be calling late, but I was wondering about Kendra Regatos. Does she work there?"

"Yes, but she isn't here. She decided to stay in your country for a few months. Is there something wrong with Cyrena?"

"No, everything is fine. I was just hoping I could ask Kendra more about Cyrena's history."

"I do have the address she is staying at if you would like to visit her and ask her more questions. I'm sure she would be happy to explain."

"That would be kind of you."

After work Rebecca wasted no time in going over to where Kendra was staying. She called Larry and told him what she was doing.

"Are you sure you aren't looking too much into this?"

"Larry, how can you not think something strange is going on? When need Cyrena to break the curse on Nubia then all of a sudden we get her? Kendra decided to stay and there really isn't a reason. And she already has an apartment."

"Maybe she does just want to get away for awhile."

"I think there is more going on and I'm going to find out what it is."

Larry sighed, knowing he couldn't change her mind. "Fine, but just be careful."

"I will." Then she hung up.

When the sun set Larry was a little afraid of what would happen. He could still remember what happened the night before with the chimera. Would something else come alive tonight? He was hesitant to leave the lobby.

"Lawrence, why are you just standing around?"

Larry looked over at Teddy. "You missed what happened last night. One of the monsters that chase Nubia came to life. Nubia was also fighting with Cyrena."

"Sounds like you had a busy night. And here I was enjoying it with Sacagawea."

"Well, if tonight is anything like last night then you won't miss it."

In the Egyptian department, the two royals climbed out of their sarcophagus. Ahkmenrah was expecting Nubia to run to Cyrena like she did the night before, but to his surprise she did nothing. Instead she just stood there, staring at the ground.

"Nubia, are you all right?" Ahkmenrah prepared for her to snap.

"I'm sorry about last night. I shouldn't have acted the way I did."

"It's all right."

"No, it's not." Nubia looked at him. "I was filled with anger and wanted revenge, but I took it out on you. For that I am sorry."

"I forgive you."

"I want to stay in here tonight with you. I don't want to worry about Cyrena or anything else."

"I don't mind. I do want to ask you something. What did Cyrena say to you last night?"

When Cyrena woke up she started looking around the museum. She wasn't able to last night since she and Nubia were fighting. It was very different then what she was use to. She walked into the lobby, noticing the different exhibits. She made her way to the front door. She wanted to see what the world looks like today.

"You shouldn't go outside."

"Why not?" She asked, looking at the man on the horse.

"Because if you are outside at sunrise you turn to dust."

"Teddy, you shouldn't have told her that." Jed said. "We would be better off if she did."

"Then I'll make sure I'm in by sunrise."

"Hopefully you'll get lost."

"Keep it up and I'll take you out." Cyrena glared at Jed.

"I'd like to see you try."

"Do you forget how small you are?" Cyrena asked as she picked him up.

Cyrena then walked over to the door and pushed, but nothing happened. She then tried to pull, but again nothing happened.

"How do you work this thing? It's a door, correct? How hard is it to open a door?"

"I guess they didn't have locks in your time." Jed laughed.

"I order you to open this door."

"I don't take orders from anyone."

"Why don't we don't we take a walk around the museum." Teddy said before a fight started.

"Wonderful idea." Cyrena said as she put Jed down. Then she and Teddy walked off.

Rebecca arrived at the apartment building that Kendra was staying at. She wasn't sure if she would get any answers, but she wasn't going to give up. Rebecca knocked on the door and when Kendra opened the door she didn't seemed surprised to see her there.

"Ms. Hutman, what can I do for you?"

"You can stop acting nice for one. And you can tell me what you're really doing here."

"My being nice is not an act. Also I told you earlier what I am doing here."

"I don't believe it. How is it that Cyrena is the one who cursed Nubia and your museum suddenly decides to let us have her? I don't think its coincidence that you chose our museum."

"You're right, it's not. I have to give you credit. You're a lot smarter then I thought you were. Come in and tell you the real reason I'm here."

Rebecca walked in as she looked around. There were many papers scattered on the coffee table and books lay open on the couch and floor.

"You can move the books and papers. I'll go get you something to drink. What would you like? I have coke, tea or water."

"Water is fine."

"All right."

As Kendra went to get the drinks Rebecca moved some books so she could sit on the couch. Out of curiosity she looked at one of the books and was shocked at what she saw.

* * *

**This chapter was full of mystery and questions haha. I hope you enjoyed it. And thanks to everyone who is reading and reviews. It means a lot.**


	11. Chapter 11

A few minutes later Kendra walked in with drinks for the two of them. Rebecca looked up from the book, confusion written all over her face. Kendra handed Rebecca her drink as she sat down.

Rebecca held up the book. "What's this about?"

The book described many curses from Ancient times. The page Rebecca was looking at was the curse that was placed on Nubia. Rebecca glared at Kendra.

"You said you knew nothing about the curse."

"What would you have done if I did tell you? And why do you care so much?"

"So, do you know how to break it?"

"Answer my question first. Why do you care so much? Unless the power of the tablet works and she comes to life."

"How do you know about that? Who are you?"

"Well, I don't know for sure since my family tree doesn't go back that far, but I'm sure I'm related to Cyrena."

"How do you know that?"

"Well…it's hard to explain, but believe me."

"Hard to believe you without proof."

"Since I found Cyrena and read about the curse I have devoted my life to trying to break it."

"Why would you want to break it? You don't know Nubia."

"I don't think anyone should have to suffer in the Afterlife."

"What was the point in bringing Cyrena here? Do you know how to break the curse?"

"I'm still working on breaking it. I thought if I brought Cyrena here then maybe that would help."

"Right, because the person who cursed Nubia would be willing to lift it."

"Now answer my question. Does the tablet really work? I've read that it can bring people back to life. Is it true?"

Rebecca debated whether she should tell Kendra the truth. She figured there was no harm in telling her. She already had a guess that the tablet works. And if she does know that the museum comes to life then maybe she can help lift the curse on Nubia.

Rebecca sighed. "Yes, the tablet works. It brings all the exhibits in the museum to life."

Kendra's eyes widened with excitement. "Really? I would love to see that. Can we go?"

"Only if you promise to help break the curse on Nubia."

"I said I've been trying and I'll continue to try. Now can we go?"

Rebecca nodded; Kendra jumped up. She acted like a kid going to Disneyland. As they headed over to the museum she was wondering what was going to happen. Was it a good idea she was bringing Kendra? What was going on at the museum now? After last night she dreaded what she was going to see tonight.

When the two of them got to the museum, Rebecca was surprised at what she saw in the lobby. Ahkmenrah looked like he was ready to kill someone; Larry was holding him back. Nubia was being held by Sacagawea as she cried. Cyrena was standing there with a smirk on her face. Rebecca had never seen the pharaoh look so mad. He was usually calm.

"What's going on?"

"Cyrena is starting trouble again." Larry answered.

"She burned my home and murdered my daughter." Ahkmenrah said. "I'll make her pay."

Ahkmenrah tried to run towards Cyrena, but Larry held him back.

"I've never found anything that said that." Rebecca said.

Cyrena looked over at her. "Do your books tell you everything? I'm sure no one knows every little detail that has happened in the past."

"Wow, I can't believe it's really Cyrena."

Everyone glanced over at Kendra, realizing there was someone new in the museum.

"I thought you were just going to talk to her?" Larry asked.

"I'll explain later."

Ahkmenrah noticed Larry had been distracted by the new woman's presence so he took the opportunity to push him out of the way and attack Cyrena. He tackled her to the ground and punched her in the face, surprising everyone.

Both Larry and Teddy ran and pulled the pharaoh off the Greek Queen. Ahkmenrah struggled.

Rebecca didn't want to see any fighting so she grabbed Kendra and Cyrena and dragged them out of the lobby. Everyone stared at her, wondering what she had planned.

"What are you doing? Release me, peasant."

Rebecca didn't release either of them until they were a good distance away from the lobby.

"What's the meaning of this?" Cyrena glared at Rebecca.

"I want you to lift the curse on Nubia."

"And why would I do that? She deserved what she got."

"Just because she killed Kahmunrah? He tried to kill his brother and Nubia many times. Nubia was just defending her family. You would have done the same thing."

"You can't possible understand." Then she walked off.

"Well, she isn't very friendly." Kendra said.

"She placed a curse on Nubia and you thought she would be friendly?"

"She could change."

"I doubt it. Let's head back to the lobby. I'm sure they're wondering what's going on."

When the two of the walked back into the lobby Rebecca explained how Kendra had been researching the curse and knew about the tablet.

"I don't understand." Larry said. "How do you know about the tablet?"

"I didn't know if it was true. I've just read about it."

"Do you know how to break the curse?" Nubia asked.

Kendra looked at her with sadness. "I'm sorry."

"How is it that your books can tell you about a curse, but they don't tell you how to break it?"

"It's not like anyone has any experience lifting curses. The curse that was placed on you is rare. We haven't found many references that say the curse was used that much. And since it wasn't used a lot there isn't much about how to break it."

"Excuse me." Jed said. "Has anyone noticed that the pharaoh is missing?"

Everyone looked around and realized that Ahkmenrah was not in the room. Nubia feared that he was going to do something to Cyrena so she ran to find him. The others other went to look for him.

Nubia went to the Egyptian department, hoping that Ahkmenrah just wanted to be alone. When she got there she saw he wasn't in the room so she dashed off.

With each step she took she was beginning to get more worried. She didn't know where Ahkmenrah was or what he was doing. She wanted to find him before he did something he regrets. When Cyrena said she started war and killed Ava, Ahkmenrah snapped. Nubia had never seen him that angry and it scared her.

Nubia made her way to the roof, her eyes widened at what she saw. "Ahkmenrah, don't."

Ahkmenrah held Cyrena's hands behind her back as he pushed her over the roof.

"Let him do it." Cyrena said. "I'm already dead. It won't do anything to me."

"I can lock you out of the museum and then you'll turn to dust when the sun rises."

"Ahkmenrah, please don't so this."

"Give me one good reason."

"You aren't like her. I know it hurts that she killed our daughter, but there is nothing we can do to change that."

"And without me you'll never figure out how to break the curse."

"It's not like you will actually lift the curse." Ahkmenrah glared at her.

"I may surprise you one day."

Nubia stood there, hoping that Ahkmenrah wouldn't push Cyrena over the edge. As much as she didn't like Cyrena she didn't want her husband to be something he's not.

After a few minutes Ahkmenrah sighed as he let go of Cyrena. She walked back in the museum laughing, saying he was always weak. Nubia went over to Ahkmenrah and put her arms around him.

"Thank you."

He didn't say anything. He continued to glare at the door Cyrena had disappeared through. Something had to be done about Cyrena. One way or another Ahkmenrah was going to do something.

* * *

**Just to let everyone know Kendra is 23 years old. I don't know if any of you were wondering, but now you know. I was trying to figure out how to put that in the story, but I didn't come up with anything haha. Hope this part was ok.**


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